


Good Things Never Last

by karabast_creations



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Star Wars OC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 02:40:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30065406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karabast_creations/pseuds/karabast_creations
Summary: Set during The Empire Strikes Back, Ky helps Mart and the rest of Iron Squadron on their homeward of Mykapo, only for that mission to be disrupted by a distress signal.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus & Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, Alexsandr Kallus & Hera Syndulla, Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, CT-7567 | Rex & Hera Syndulla, CT-7567 | Rex & Ky Syndulla, Ezra Bridger & Ky Syndulla, Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios & Hera Syndulla, Gooti Terez & Ky Syndulla, Iris Mattin & Mart Mattin, Jonner Jin & Ky Syndulla, Jonner Jin & Mart Mattin & R3-A3 & Gooti Terez, Jun Sato & Hera Syndulla, Mart Mattin & Ky Syndulla, R3-A3 & Ky Syndulla
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Flight to Mykapo

**Author's Note:**

> "I don't want that to happen to us. Good things never last..."

"Is it just me, or has Mart been off since we left Hoth?"

Gooti looked over to her friend, as Ky brushed her hand over R3's dome as she sat down. The theelin thought for a moment, before sitting up and sighing,

"I'm not surprised," she responded, "considering the mission."

"He always talks about freeing Mykapo, and now that we're actually doing it, he seems like he want's nothing to do with it."

"It's family issues," Gooti told her, "look, it isn't my place to say."

"I didn't know Mart had any family left," Ky sighed, "I understand."

"I figured you would," Gooti smiled softly, "he'll be fine."

"What about you and Jonner? Any family left?"

Gooti looked down, frowning before shaking her head. Ky nodded a little, placing a hand on her friend's arm,

"You've still got a family here," Ky told her, "that has to mean something."

Gooti nodded, "Yeah," she looked back up to Ky, smiling a little, "thank you, Ky."

"Glad I could help..."

"So," Gooti changed the subject, trying to forget about the pain of her family, "how long do you think it'll take?"

"To free Mykapo?" Ky rose a brow, "could be a week, could be a month. It's hard to tell..."

"The Imperial's are spread out," Gooti explained, "majority of them will be in Kordua, the capital."

"Any idea how many?"

"When we still lived there, it was about two hundred, but now, I'm not sure."

"You guys were the only rebel activity around," Ky responded, "they probably didn't have a reason to increase forces."

"You have a point," she replied, "but, with the outposts outside the city, the moment we attack the city they'll have reinforcements."

"After what we did on Lothal, using Protocol 13 is risky," Ky looked to R3, "pull up a map of the capital for us?"

The droid chirped, as the blue glow from the holomap lit up the room. Gooti pointed to one of the streets,

"This road will take us to Viani," she explained, "there's an armory there, we could steal from it. We aren't exactly armed for something like this."

"We're not going to Viani," Mart cut in from the doorway, "we should take out the outposts first, deal with the capital last."

"They have explosives and heavy artillery," Gooti argued, "if they find out we're attacking the outposts, they will use that against us."

"The we deal with it when they find us," Mart crossed his arms, "we go to Viani, this whole thing is a bust."

"Care to tell me what Viani is?" Ky looked over to him, smiling a little bit. Mart didn't smile back,

"Capital building," he simply said, "senator and high class imps will be inside."

"And? We've done harder jobs than-"

Mart cut her off, "It's not an option."

She looked at him for a moment, a little shocked to hear that tone from him. He was angry. Frustrated.

"Okay then," Ky sighed, "so we take out outpost by outpost. What then?"

"Draw the rest out of the city and take them out."

"And what's going to keep them from coming back?" Gooti questioned, "especially with-"

"We'll deal with that when the time comes."

Ky looked at him for a moment as he went silent, watching as he struggled to keep his composure before he muttered something under his breath and walked off. She frowned, standing back up,

"I should check on him," she looked back to Gooti, "you think you can finish these repairs?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Thanks..."

The door swooshed open to the common room/the bunks, as Ky noticed Mart sitting at the table with his hand on his temple. He glanced over to her, frowning,

"Sorry," he sighed, "didn't mean for... nevermind."

She sat down in the seat next to him, placing her hand on his forearm,

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he forced a smile, "just, tired."

"You should get some rest before we land then," Ky told him, "I can handle things while you do."

He shook his head, chuckling, "You really think I'll be able sleep?"

"Maybe if you would tell me what's going on, you would be able to."

"It doesn't work like that."

"It's worth a shot," she kissed his cheek, "I'm here. You know that."

He smiled his best at her, "Yeah, I know.... it's just something I want to keep to myself."

"Okay..."

"Don't do that," he sighed, "you have things from your past that you keep from me. And I'm okay with it."

"You have a point," she replied, "I'm just worried, that's all."

Mart pressed a kiss on her hand, giving it a squeeze,

"I'll be fine," he told her, "I promise."


	2. Into the Capital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Forgot to say last time that these are all from my wattpad (ggmm27494)

"You were talking in your sleep," she pressed a kiss on his cheek, as Mart smiled softly at her as she wrapped her arms around his waist, "dreaming about something?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, "you."

"Aw," she smirked, "dreaming about that wedding you want so badly?"

"No," he rolled his eyes, "just you."

"Well, I'm right here for ya," she kissed his lips, "you ready for today?"

"Not really," he sighed, "but I have to be."

She nodded, sitting up from their bunk, throwing on her jacket,

"It's nice to not have to layer up every morning," she threw on her belt as she spoke, "wish our base wasn't an ice planet."

"Agreed," he got up, yawning as he got dressed, "that why you take so many missions, cause of the cold?"

"Maybe," she said sarcastically, then laughed a little bit, "you know me, I don't like sitting around."

"I know," he pressed another kiss on her cheek, "I'm just glad we get this mission together."

She nodded, grabbing her rifle, "I'll check the perimeter before we start."

"Yes ma'am."

\- - -

"How we looking?" Jonner rose a brow, as Ky came back over to Sato's Hammer.

"All clear," she replied, "I don't think they realize we've landed."

"That's good to hear," Gooti responded, looking over the blaster she was holding, "I still think we should get some better weapons from the capital building."

"I agree with you," Ky replied, "but I trust Mart. This is his mission, and I'm going to follow him."

"You're the last person who would follow orders blindly," Jonner looked to her, "you know his plan is dangerous."

She sighed, "Yeah... you do have a point."

"We've tried talking him out of it," Gooti told her, "and he didn't listen. You need to, or it's gonna get someone killed."

"Alright," Ky replied, "fine."

\- - -

"They don't trust me..."

"I'm assuming you know what this is about," Ky sat in the co pilots seat, watching him fidget with the controls, "and they do trust you. They're just worried."

Mart shook his head, "I know they think going to the capital building is a good idea. But it's not."

"Then tell me why."

"I can't!"

"Mart..."

"Look it has stuff to do with my family, and I don't want to deal with that."

"Then why are we freeing your home?" She asked, "help me understand."

"I'm freeing my home because I cared about my dad. And my uncle Jun. And I cared for Gooti and Jonner's family. And all the friends we lost too."

"Then what 'stuff with your family' is causing you to risk their lives?"

"My mother."

"Your mother? You never talked about her before."

"That's the point, Ky." He looked to her, heartbreak in his eyes, "I hate her. More than anyone, I hate her."

Ky pauses for a moment, remembering how her own mother hated Cham. But things changed for them, maybe they would change for Mart too.

"She's still alive, in the Capital?"

"Yeah..." he frowned, "look, I don't want to talk about this."

"If you want me to go, I will," she told him, "I can go with Gooti and Jonner to get better equipment. And you won't have to step foot in the Capital."

"I don't know Ky..."

"It's better than attacking the outposts first," she reminded him, "I know you don't want to lose anyone else. I don't either."

"If something were to happen to you or them, and I wasn't there-"

"Nothing's going to happen. I promise."

Mart looked into her eyes for a moment, nodding a little, "Fine..."

She pressed a long kiss on his lips, giving his hand a squeeze, "You gonna be okay here by yourself?"

"No," he chuckled, kissing her again quickly, "I'll be worrying the entire time."

"Now you know how I feel when you're on a mission without me."

He nodded a little, pulling her into a hug and kissing her neck then her cheek,

"I love you..."

"I love you too," She smiled softly, before pulling away, "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay."

\- - -

"Mart made it sound like the city would be packed," Ky muttered, looking around the corner, "there's no one here."

"Hopefully it stays that way," Jonner responded, "Capital isn't far."

"What's the plan once we get there?" Ky looked to them, as R3 chirped.

"R3 gets us inside with those codes you got," Gooti explained, "we take out the guards quickly and quietly. Take the weapons out the back."

"Easier said than done," Ky sighed, "worst case scenario?"

"If we get caught, and they find out we're with Mart, we'll be executed."

Ky looked back to Jonner, a little shocked by his words. He nodded to confirm what he said was correct, as she frowned,

"Mart mentioned his mother earlier, how she was alive and in the Capital. What's up with that?"

"She's the senator for Mykapo," Gooti answered, "she's an Imperial."

"The second she found out Mart's dad and Commander Sato were against her, and that Mart was with them... things got bad."

"And your families?" Ky looked to them, "what happened to them?"

Gooti and Jonner shared a look, before Gooti responded,

"All rebel sympathizers who were caught... they were executed without a trial."

Jonner nodded, "And if they escaped, they were hunted down."

"I'm sorry," Ky frowned, "that's..."

"Commander Sato was lucky he left when he did," Gooti continued, "once our families were gone, we had no choice but to fight. We got lucky they never found us."

Ky nodded, as the nearer the capital building,

"This the place?" She whispered, looking over the glass panels and heavy canons that surrounded the building.

"Oh yeah, this is it."

"R3, scan the area, make sure there's no surprises waiting for us."

The droid beeped a response, as Ky looked into the scope of her rifle,

"What's the building next to it?"

"Senatorial office," Jonner told her, "no stormtroopers or officers, but we won't be welcomed with open arms either."

Ky nodded, "Can you two get the weapons yourselves?"

"What are you thinking?" Gooti looked to her, as R3 showed them a hologram with canon locations.

"I'm a good shot," Ky responded, "if I can get to the top floor, I'll be able to cover you guys form all angles if needed."

"If we're sending anyone up there, I'm glad it's you." Jonner told her, pulling out his blaster.

"I'll take that as a compliment?"

"Guards in there use hand to hand combat, not blasters. Spears and knives are their main weapons."

"Good to know," Ky replied, "I'll meet you guys back at the ship."

"Good luck, Ky."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is about to go down


	3. Do You Copy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

There was a chirping noise from the hallway, as Ky pulled out her rifle and put her finger on the trigger. She sighed in relief when the little droid came into view, 

"R3..."

The droid hopped a little, as Ky placed a hand on his dome, "What are you doing here, bud?"

'Gooti wanted me to come with you.'

"Okay then," she chuckled, gave him a pat, "stick close to me." 

'Okay.'

Ky held her breath as she moved through the building, making her way to the top floor with the droid following close behind. 

"R3, what's the closest way to the roof?" she whispered, checking to make sure the halls were clear before kneeling in front of him. 

The droid pulled a map up, hopping a little, as she looked it over, 

"Which has more guards?"

'I don't know.'

"You try and get an estimate about how many guards are around," she told him, "I'll get to the top."

R3 beeped nervously, trying to follow Ky as she started walking away. She frowned, turning to him, 

"Come on R3," she sighed, "you can't come with me this time." 

The droid continued to try and follow her, 'You can't go alone, we don't know what's out there.'

"And that's why you're gonna find out how many guards are around," she smiled a little, "I'll meet you and the others soon enough, I promise."

\- - - 

Mart sighed, sitting down in the pilot's chair with a sigh, staring at the controls for a moment. It was silent aboard Sato's Hammer. Mart hated the silence. He wanted his crew and his partner back on the ship. His family. 

The holonet was playing in the background, but Mart couldn't hear it. His mind was racing, worried that something was going to happen in the capital. It was so stupid. Why did Ky push for them to go? They would have been fine with his plan. 

Putting a hand on his temple, Mart pressed the button on his commlink, 

"Away team this is Sato's Hammer please respond."

There was nothing but silence on the other side of the comm, causing Mart's heart to race. He took a deep breath, pressing the button again, 

"Away team this is Sato's Hammer, please respond." The despiration in his voice became more clear, as he ran his hand through his hair, biting his lip before pressing the button again, "Iron Squadron please respond."

Still nothing.

"Ky..." he muttered, "Ky tell me you hear me."

There was static on the other end, as Mart smashed his hand down on the panel, grunting in annoyance, 

"Iron Squadron please respond."

"Sato's Hammer," a voice responded, crystal clear, "you've made a mistake to come back here."

\- - - 

Gooti sighed, "This blasted door," she looked back to Jonner, "I shouldn't have sent R3 with Ky."

"Is there another way we can get inside?" he rose a brow, looking down the hallway. 

"Not that I know of," she replied, pulling out her commlink, "but I know someone who might."

Jonner smiled a little, "I'll keep watch." He nodded to her and walked to the end of the hallway, keeping his blaster out. 

"Sato's Hammer," Gooti said into her comm, "we need to know if there's another way into the armory."

There was only static, as Gooti hit her comm against her belt a few times, "Sato's Hammer, do you copy?"

A blaster fired from the end of the hallway, as Gooti grabbed her blaster and turned down the hallway, not seeing Jonner where he last stood. She frowned, holding her breath as she walked down the hallway. It was eerily silent, after that blaster shot there was nothing else. 

"Jonner?" she called out in a whisper tone, reaching the next hallway, "Jonner!"

Someone yelled to her, "Gooti get out of here!" as a something hit her shoulder blade, the metal from a spear sticking out of her chest, blood gushing from the wound.

\- - - 

R3 beeped nervously, watching as Ky opened a window inside of an office, an unconscious officer laid on the ground by his desk. 

"Alright, here's where we split up," she threw her bo rifle over her shoulder, getting a good grip on the ladder next to her. R3 chirped at her, the droid did not want her out of his sight lines. She smiled softly, "I'll meet you back at the bottom floor, okay?"

The droid tried to follow her, but was unable to get to the window opening. She sighed,

"Go find Gooti and Jonner," she told him, "that's an order buddy."

There was an explosion from the other building, the one with the armory inside. The same one Gooti and Jonner had gone into. Ky kept one arm on the ladder, using the other to pull the scope of her rifle up, trying to get a look at what was going on. 

"I hope that explosion is you guys..." she muttered, trying to get a sight of Gooti or Jonner but unable to find them. 

R3 beeped again, "Is this high enough to cover them?'

"I should get to the roof," Ky looked up, "it's only a few more stories, I won't be far."

'But what if something happened down there?'

Ky paused, looking down to the fiery explosion for a moment, then back to R3. She took a deep breath, before pulling out her comm, 

"Does anybody copy?" she muttered, "Gooti, Jonner, what's that explosion?"

There was only static. 

"Karabast..." Ky frowned, looking to R3, "get back to Mart, tell him we might need a pick up."

'What about you?'

"I'll be fine," she told him, "be careful buddy."

Ky waited until R3 had rolled out of the office, before continuing up the ladder, the smoke rising up to where she was. There was yelling from inside the senatorial offices, and from down below. From what it sounded like, Gooti and Jonner had probably been the cause of the explosion. She could only hope.

"Two rebels have been spotted and captured!" Someone yelled, as Ky neared the roof. The girl paused, listening to their conversation. 

"Rebels? Here?"

"Iron Squadron has returned," the guard stated, "we've intercepted a transmission from their captain."

"Senator Mattin's son?"

"Yes, a squad has been sent to his coordinates."

"Just him and the two captives?"

"No, they have a droid," he replied, "and the name Ky was heard over the commlink. Looks like another rebel scum has joined Mattin."

Ky paled, taking a shaky breath before climbing up to the roof, the two guards were facing away from where she was. She quietly hopped up to the top, ducking behind a large pipe of some kind. Good thing Sabine taught her how to be stealthy. And Ezra too. 

Boy did she miss him. He would have wanted to help Mart and the rest here. 

She moved her rifle to face the farther of the two guards, quickly firing at him and taking out the second without any trouble. 

"Only two..." she ran over to their bodies, checking to make sure they were really dead. No pulse, good. 

They weren't imperial, that's for certain. From the looks of if they didn't even carry blasters, only spears. She thought for a moment, before grabbing her comm, 

"Mart do you copy?" she stated, "you need to get out of there, they know you're location."

Static.

"Mart," she said again, "Mart I need to know you hear me. Please get out of there. Gooti and Jonner have been captured."

Only static. 

Ky bit her lip, hearing some sort of battle cry. Something hit her, she couldn't even grab her rifle in time, as the world flew by around her, before everything turned black.


	4. The Balcony, The Cells, and The Ship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"Love," Hera sighed, "I can't let you do this."

"I promised Mart I would help him," Ky muttered, "you know I'll do it without your permission."

"I know," Hera placed her hand on Ky's shoulder, "but I need you here."

"It's just a week or two," Ky continued, "mom please."

"It's still a no," Hera replied, "after Lothal. I don't want to risk it."

"But we won on Lothal."

"And we lost Kanan," Hera said, trying to keep herself from breaking at his name, "and Gregor, and Ezra. And your squadron. We could have lost so much more and you know it."

"There won't be a squadron on Mykapo," she continued, "just me and Iron Squadron."

"That's the point. We lost so much even with a squadron of bombers and fighters. Even with two Jedi..."

"You have to trust me."

"Ky..."

"Mom I have to do this," she grabbed her mother's hands, "I will be fine. I promise you."

"Sabine is not coming back," Hera held back tears, "Kanan and Ezra are gone. I don't want to lose you too. You're my daughter Ky. I can't lose you."

"You won't."

Ky coughed harshly, shocked that blood didn't drip down her chin. She found herself stuck. Frozen. Her head was spinning, she felt like she was glued to the ground. Every bone in her body hurt.

There was someone next to her, Ky couldn't see who it was. She didn't know where she was.

"Mart..?"

Someone yelled something, as the figure became more clear. Their foot smashing into Ky's ribs, as Ky screamed in pain. The figure, some woman with braided hair, wiped blood from her mouth crouching down to Ky and pinning her down,

"Long. Live. The Empire."

Ky winced, shakily moving her hand to find her rifle. The woman laughed, standing up and kicking something away. It was quiet, not a loud thump like her rifle would be. Her commlink. It had to be. Or maybe her blaster.

Ky bit her lip, turning her head. Her rifle was just out of her reach. Her commlink no where in sight.

"Come on.." her voice cracked, as she was kicked once again, turning onto her side as she yelled in pain, trying to focus on the task at hand. Survive. For her friends. For Mart. For her mother.

But Ky's vision began to blur again. It was harder and harder to breathe.

She wasn't going to make it.

\- - -

"Mart. Mart get up!" Someone yelled, as Mart groaned, trying to reach his hand to the aching hand on his temple, but couldn't lift it due to the restraints.

"I'm here..."

"You good?" Jonner asked, from where he was handcuffed against the wall. Mart nodded a little, 

"Yeah..." he coughed, the world around him clearing up, "you're leg."

Jonner didn't even look at the wound on his leg, even as blood soaked his pant leg,

"I'm fine," he responded, "blew up the armory and the capital building before they cuffed me."

"You what..?"

"They got Gooti."

Mart's eyes widened, "She didn't make it..."

"I don't know," Jonner responded, leaning his head back on the cold walls, "they shot me. She went after me and got a spear in the back. I was able to get myself inside the armor and detonate something. I woke up here. No Gooti."

He nodded, "What about Ky and R3? Did they make it out?"

"Ky went up to the senatorial building," Jonner explained, "Goot sent R3 after her. Haven't heard from them since we split up."

Mart nodded a little, looking down, "I screwed up... I tried to contact you guys and got our cover blown. My mother knows we're here."

"Well," he forced a chuckle, "let's hope Ky's got some plan in stock."

"She always does..."

\- - -

"Drink it."

Gooti couldn't open her eyes to look at the voice in front of her. But she knew. That voice never left her head. Gooti mumbled a curse in her native language, weakly lifting her head to look at the suited woman in front of her, her graying hair tightened into a braid.

"You remember me?" The woman smirked, crouching in front of the theelin, "yeah. You remember me."

Gooti tried to sit up, wanted to punch her in the face and knock her back. But the pain throughout her body caused her to collapse back down onto the cell floor, she winced, unable to sit up.

"You're dead..." she coughed, "as soon as..." her voice trailed off, her body fighting sleep.

"Mart won't find you," she told her, putting the metal cup in front of Gooti's face, "drink it."

"So you can poison me like you did to Valsi..? And to my mother..?" Gooti forced a painful laugh, "I'd rather bleed out."

"Maybe you will then," The woman stood back up, "or maybe I'll keep you alive long enough, so my son can watch what happens to rebel traitors."

\- - -

A hard surface placed itself against Ky's side, gently. It wasn't a kick like the last time. Or a knife stabbing into her.

There was a soft chirp, as Ky took a deep breath, doing her best to look over to the source of the noise,

"R3..." She smiled weakly, as the droid hopped a little. She chuckled, wheezing. It was hard to breathe. She probably had damage to her lungs. Or her ribs. Or both.

The droid beeped,

'Can you sit up?'

Ky nodded a little, "Just give me a second..." she coughed, turning onto her side and pushing herself up a little, her body trembling from the pain. R3 rolled next to her, as she weakly put her arm around his dome, using the droid as a support to stand.

It took about ten minutes for Ky to get to her feet, even then her heart was beating out of her chest, and she found herself breathless.

"What happened to our friend?" She coughed, picking her rifle up and slinging it over her shoulder with a painful hiss. There was no way Ky had defeated the woman who knocked her off the roof. Maybe if Ky was at her full strength, but being thrown three to four stories down and landing on her back wasn't helping.

R3 extended his mechanical arm over the ledge of the balcony, as Ky turned her head to see her opponent on the ground near the firery Capital building. The little droid managed to surprise her and knock her down, saving Ky's life. She owed him everything.

"Good job buddy..." she smiled weakly, "did you make contact with the others?"

'No.'

"Hopefully they made it out okay," she sighed, "let's get back to the ship, that way Mart knows what happened..."

Little did Ky know Mart wasn't in his home of Sato's Hammer. She didn't know that he and the rest of the crew had been taken, into the same building she was in.

Only when she arrived back to the ship, she found Mart's blaster on the ground with a small pool of blood nearby.

Collapsing to her knees, both out of despair and injury, Ky let out a sob.

Why did her mother have to be right..?


	5. Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"You know your way there?" The guard asked, pushing Mart and Jonner out of their shared cell, their hands still cuffed behind their backs. Both stayed silent, knowing what there was. The execution hall.

Jonner limped, staying at Mart's side. They shouldn't go out like this, the same way their families did in the past. They should put up a fight, die honoring the ones that didn't make it.

But he had to hold back. Gooti was out there, maybe dead. So was R3 and Ky, wherever they were. Did they even know about Mart and Jonner's capture? Had they been captured?

The doors swooshed open in front of them, the center of the room cleared out, dried blood staining the floor where countless rebels had been executed.

"Only you would be bold enough to come back here."

Mart wanted to roll his eyes at the woman's remarks, but instead he kept his eyes to the ground, holding back at glaring her down. He wanted to find his friends more than anything. He had to do whatever he needed to do to keep them safe. Iron Squadron was family. And as captain he needed to protect that family.

"Kneel." The guard told him, as Jonner looked over to Mart. Mart was his captain. He did whatever he said.

Mart didn't look over to his friend, as the guards shoved them both to their knees. Jonner winced, as the woman in front of them walked closer, her arms behind her back.

"You'll be happy to hear the girl is alive," she explained, "the guards are bringing her here."

He stayed silent. He was not going to say a word to her.

"Speak when you're spoken to."

He looked up to her as she crouched in front of him, staring into her brown eyes, the same eyes he had.

"Where's the other?" She said quietly, "we heard her name over the commlink. 'Ky' was it? Where is she?"

"Don't touch her."

The woman stood up, grabbing something from her back pocket, putting the blade against Jonner's next. Mart bit his lip as she continued,

"You know where she is. One of you does, at least. What about that droid of yours? Where is it?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

The blade was moved closer to Jonner's throat, the woman obviously getting annoyed,

"Tell me where they are, or he dies."

Jonner's eyes looked to Mart, "Don't do it."

"Jonner..." the breath barely escaped his lips. He didn't want to lose his best friend. Jonner had been with him since he was a child. They went through the deaths of their families and friends together. They joined Phoenix squadron together. They fought for the Rebellion together.

And now they might die together.

The door swooshed open behind them, as Mart's eyes darted over, watching as two guards brought Gooti in, shoving her onto the ground in front of Jonner and Mart.

Gooti couldn't look at them. She was too weak to even lift her head. Blood had practically soaked her clothes. She was pale, almost white instead of her normal pink. Her breathing was shallow. Her eyes were bloodshot.

Mart stared at her helplessly.

She was dying.

The woman stood up, pulling the knife away from Jonner and going behind Gooti. Mart practically held back tears as she moved the knife to Gooti's throat.

Please. He thought to himself. Please don't.

"Where are your friends?"

"Don't..." Gooti said weakly, forcing herself to look up to her friends, "I'm gone anyways..."

"Mother..." the words barely escaped Mart's lips, "please don't."

"Mother... please don't."

The boy was standing helplessly at the ramp of his father's ship. His father had been speared by a guard, knocked to the ground. Alive but injured. And she grabbed him. She held a knife to his throat. She was ready to kill him.

"Long live the Empire." She said between her teeth, as Mart let out a scream,

"No!"

"Mart," Jonner said, "Mart we need you here, buddy."

Jonner was looking at him. He was there. Like he was when she killed Mart's father. And now she was about to kill Gooti.

"Where. Are. They?" Iris Mattin said sternly, holding the knife closer. Gooti bit her lip, she was ready.

"Stop!" Mart practically screamed, "I don't know where they are!"

Iris pulled the knife away, glaring her son down. She scoffed, getting ready to shove it into the theelin's abdomen. It wouldn't kill her quickly. She would suffer, maybe long enough for one of them to spill.

There was some type of explosion. Glass spilled into the execution hall from the top windows,

Someone screamed,

"Get down!"


	6. Execution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"Get down!"

They were there. They were alive. She just had to make sure it stayed that way.

Mart kept some low grade explosives on the ship, ones he would put on cargo in mass amounts to blow up imperial ships. Taking what she could carry, she brought herself back to the senatorial building, weakly climbing up to the third floor, looking down into the execution hall from the windows. No one had spotted her. And her friends were inside. That's what mattered. They were there and they were okay. They would be okay.

The moment she blew a hole in the window, spears and knives were thrown in her direction. Ky dodged them, struggling to keep her breath steady. Every bone in her body ached, but as soon as they were out and back on the ship, she could rest.

Ky jumped down, hitting the floor with a loud thump, shoving a table onto its side and ducking behind it, pulling out her rifle and firing at the guards around her. Mart's explosives provided a lot of smoke. Good for cover, but she could tell who she was firing at. She had to hope that Mart got the rest of them to cover.

"Cease fire!" Someone yelled, as it grew silent. Ky held her breath, keeping her rifle aimed in the direction of the voice.

"I just want my people!" Ky told them, "let them go and we leave in peace!"

"No deal!" The woman yelled back, "you surrender now. I give you and your friends a painless death."

"I wasn't offering," Ky muttered, standing up, "come out and face me. Let me see who I'm speaking too."

This was dangerous. But maybe it would work.

A woman stepped out from the smoke, guards dragging someone behind her.

Ky's expression softened, when she realized that Mart was the one being dragged. He looked up to her as they pulled him to his knees.

"Ky..."

"Let him go," Ky looked to the woman, practically pleading. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, "I have explosives set up around this entire building. If you don't. Let them go, my droid will detonate."

"And how will you escape?" The woman smiled eerily, taking the knife from her belt and shoving it against Mart's throat.

Ky didn't respond, her eyes went to Mart. He stared back at her, reading her expression to figure out what sort of plan she had.

A suicide mission.

She was going to die to get him and the rest of Iron Squadron to safety. He could tell. She was holding back emotions, staring at him. Her eyes telling him how much she loved him.

Mart smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist as she slept. Kissing her cheek and then pressing another onto her neck, watching as her lips curled up a little. He chuckled,

"I know you're awake."

"I'm not." She smirked, keeping her eyes closed, laughing a little. He rolled his eyes,

"We'll be home soon," he whispered, burying his face in her shoulder, "I can't believe we did it."

"I wish we didn't have to go back to the cold," she snorted, "Mykapo was nice."

"It's free now," he smiled, as she turned to face him, "we can go back if you want. Stay there. Just live."

Mart kissed her gently, hearing her chuckle,

"You were talking in your sleep."

Mart held back tears, as Ky turned her gaze away from him, back to his mother.

"Kill her," She told one of the guards, raising a finger and pointing to Ky, "then kill Terez and Jin. Find the droid and dismantle him."

"Yes Senator."

"Don't touch them!" Mart struggled, trying yo push his mother off of him, the knife sliding a little bit on his skin, a few drops of blood dripping from the cut. She shoved her knee into his back, causing him to grunt and be pinned to the ground.

"Stop!" Ky yelled, causing Iris to look up to her a little bit. She held the knife at Mart's neck again, snarling,

"Throw your weapon to the side."

Ky tossed her rifle to the side, taking out her blaster from its holster and tossing it as well, putting her hands up,

"Let him go. Just take me instead."

"On your knees."

She nodded a little, wincing as she brought herself to her knees,

"I-I have imperial data in my head," she stuttered, looking into Iris's eyes, "that's a value to you. You take me and turn me in. Or kill me. But you have to let my friends go."

Mart held back a sob, watching her. Her hands were shaking. She wasn't going to make it. He could only hope he wouldn't make it either.

"What kind of data?" She smirked, still keeping the knife at Mart's neck. Mart took a breath,

"Ky..." he begged, even though Ky didn't make eye contact with him, "Ky don't. You can still-"

Iris hit him hard on the back of his head, pushing him harder into the ground,

"Let the girl speak for herself." she looked back up to Ky.

Ky nodded a little, holding back tears, "Let my friends go first. Then we have a deal."

Iris nodded, "We have a deal," She pulled Mart back up to his feet, looking to her guards, "take him to the others. Make them watch."

"No!" Mart yelled, trying to shove the guards of of him, "don't touch her!"

Two guards brought Jonner and Gooti over, both of them handcuffed, Gooti barely standing on her own. They were both shoved to their knees, as Mart was thrown next to them.

Ky looked up to Iris as she stepped in front of her,

"You've done a great service to your Empire," Iris said, "any last words?"

Ky nodded a little, blinking away tears and looking into Iris's eyes, shooting her a glare as a single tear fell down her face,

"Yeah..." she muttered, looking away for a moment pausing. The room went silent, as Mart watched her helplessly, being held back by the guards. Gooti and Jonner bowed their heads. Iris's eyes widened, noticing Ky's hand move to her comlink as she spoke, "R3, now!"


	7. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jonner Jin appreciation time 
> 
> Enjoy! This is all I have done as of right now so it will be a while before I update ao3 again, but if you want to see these chapters posted as they're written you can check my wattpad out.

Fire. Fire. Get out.

Get. Up.

She gasped for breath, coughing harshly and painfully, a few drops of either blood or saliva dripping down her chin. Or both. Could always be both.

She yelled in pain, trying to lift whatever was on top of her and get out. Bricks? Metal? Something like that. Whatever it was, it hurt. And it was hot. It burned. Was she on fire? She couldn't think. The smoke in her eyes made it hard to see. She couldn't tell what was on top of her.

Mart. Where was Mart? She couldn't see him. Was he okay? Was he alive?

"You!" Someone yelled through their teeth, a figure standing above her with her blaster pointed at Ky's head.

"I told you..." Ky coughed up more blood, "I had explosives set up..."

The words came out slowly, barely escaping her lips. But they did. And Iris grew more angry with each of them.

"You may have blown up our capital. And our senate offices. But I've still won," Iris continued, as Ky's vision cleared a little. There was blood running down the senator's forehead, her grey and brown braid was falling out of its place. Was she holding her side too? It looked like she'd been shot or something. Shoving her boot into Ky's side, she laughed, "you stupid child! You've lost!"

Ky couldn't catch her breath. She couldn't move. Everything hurt. She wanted to cry. To scream.

\---

"Beat you." Ky smirked, putting her rifle into it's basic form, looking down at the knocked over human in front of her. Kallus got up, grabbing his own rifle, looking over to Zeb for a second before looking back to Ky.

"You need to forget all that imperial training," Zeb told him, "you might be able to knock out a couple'a stormtroopers like that. But if we end up getting into trouble with someone worse..."

"You're screwed." Ky finished for him, looking back to Zeb. He sighed, nodding,

"Yeah, pretty much," he chuckled, sitting back down on the crate nearby, "go again."

"He's easy," Ky rolled her eyes, "can't I go up against you?"

"This isn't your training, is it?" Zeb shot her a playful glare, "besides, I'm enjoying watching you knock him on his ass every five minutes."

She shrugged, "Trained by the best."

Ky reignited her rifle, Kallus doing the same. There was a brief pause, Ky glanced up to the balcony for half a second, noticing the twi'lek watching over them. She smiled softly, watching Ky as she was able to quickly knock Kallus to his feet. The former imperial got up quickly, charging at the girl, who simply dodged his attacks. Zeb had trained her well.

And Ky had beat him. Again. It felt good. Not only because Ky knew Zeb and her mother were proud of her. It was that fact that she beat Kallus. This was as close as she could get to justice. And it felt good.

"We'll work on it more later," Zeb chuckled, brushing his paw on Kallus' shoulder as he walked by and grabbed his own rifle, "you up for it, kid?"

"Always," she replied, looking up to her mother, who nodded softly, resting her hand on her bump. Ky smiled a little back, "you think I could train them when they're born?"

"I'd prefer you didn't prep my infant child for war," she laughed a little, "when they're older, we'll see."

"War won't be here when the kit's older," Zeb looked to her, then back to Ky, "we'll make sure of it."

"We will."

"General Syndulla," a voice came on over the comm, "please report to the briefing room. General Syndulla, please report to the briefing room."

Hera sighed, her smile fading, "That's my queue..."

"I can take over for you," Ky went over to her mother as she climbed down the ladder, "you can rest, mom."

"I'm alright love," Hera smiled her best, "of they're calling me, it means Captain Andor is back. This is too important."

"Understood."

\---

She's a fighter. Zeb made sure of it. Hera too. Ezra. Sabine. Kanan. Rex. Mart. Even Kallus.

She couldn't give up. Not now.

\- - -

"Hey..." Mart kissed her cheek, sitting next to her on the bunk they were sharing.

"Hey," she smiled, "hyperdrive is stable. We should be in Mykapo's atmosphere in two days."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he let a shaky breath escape his lips, handing her a small object, "take it."

"A knife?" She looked at the small blade closely. He nodded,

"Put it in your boot. Just in case."

\- - -

It's still there. She still had it. She just had to get to it. Iris kicked her again, some of the rubble on top of her slid to the side, giving Ky a bit more space to breathe. She threw herself up, her head spinning as Iris rolled her eyes. The woman was weak too. She didn't want to fight. She just wanted to win.

The woman fired her blaster at Ky's head. She was inches away.

How did she miss?

Iris gasped, as blood gushed from her hand. The blaster was on the ground in front of her. She didn't fire. Someone else did.

Ky didn't have time to think. Or even to see who saved her. She forced herself up, the knife in her hand now.

Iris's jaw dropped, the woman wasn't expecting any of this. Charging at her, Iris was knocked to the ground, Ky on top of her.

"You should have seen this coming," Ky said between her teeth, shoving the knife against her neck, just as she did to her friends moments prior, "You've. Lost."

Iris spit at her, but Ky didn't care. She was going to win. It was going to feel good. After everything this woman did to her friends. Her family. She was going to pay for it.

\---

"Ky!" Someone yelled, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her off the stormtrooper in front of her, "Ky stop! It's over!"

Ky practically let out a sob as she collapsed onto the ground, trying to catch her breath. A warm set of arms wrapped around her, as Ky tried to steady her shaking hands,

"He..." she paused, trying to find the right words, "he was hiding out, near the caves. The wolves didn't see him."

"It's over," Ezra kept a firm grip on her shoulders, "come on. Let's get you up."

She nodded a little, as Ezra helped her to her feet, handing her rifle to her, which she had thrown to the side moments prior.

"Sorry..." she mumbled, pulling the strap over her shoulder, wincing.

"I understand," he told her, "wanting to hurt someone, after what they've done..."

"Yeah," she sniffled, "I know."

"But we can't let it take over," he told her, "if we do, we're no better then them."

\---

Ky released the knife from Iris' neck, letting a sob escape her lips as she collapsed back onto the ground. Her body was trembling, as she rocked back and forth a little, struggling to breathe. Iris sat up,

"You're weak," she muttered, "you can't even kill me."

Ky nodded, unable to form any words as she brought herself to her feet. Her knees were trembling. She couldn't stand for long.

"Ky," Jonner grabbed her shoulder, as she noticed he was holding her rifle, handing it to her. He had saved her. He had shot Iris' blaster out of her hand, "we have to finish it."

"I can't..." she took her rifle, weakly putting it over her shoulder as she brought herself to look at him. Iris was weaponless and injured. She couldn't fight them. Ky looked around them, the smoke and fire taking over the entire room. They had to leave, right then.

Jonner looked at Iris, glaring her down as she tried to stand. Tried to find a weapon. She would bleed out soon enough. The wound on her side already had soaked her jacket. Was it enough for what she had done? No. But he was alive. Ky was. Maybe Gooti and Mart made it out too. The explosion had separated them.

There was a chirp from Ky's comm, as she winced and grabbed it from her belt.

"I'm here," she coughed, "get back to the ship..."

Jonner gently placed his hand on Ky's shoulder,

"We should go too."

"Yeah..." she winced, placing her hand on her side. Broken rib? Maybe two? Maybe more? Probably.

More of the roof collapsed on the other side of the room. Iris was on the ground, pale. Too weak to even stand.

"What do we do about her?" Jonner asked, watching as the woman kept trying to grab at something. There wasn't anything to grab. She had lost. But they didn't exactly win either.

"Leave her," she replied, her voice raspy, "let's just go..."

The building was ready to collapse completely. In fact, it did. They had made it down the road a mile or two when they heard the crash. There was so much smoke. And the fire was bad. Ky had no doubt in her mind that the Empire would be there soon. All of them were injured, they couldn't fight.

Ky stopped for a second, watching the remains of the building from the distance, holding back tears.

"They could have made it," Jonner told her, grabbing her arm, "but we need to go."

"I know..."

"They could have made it..." Jonner said again. Sure, Ky needed to hear it. But he did too. Mart had been with him since he was a boy. They lived together since they were five. And he might be dead now. His brother might be dead. He frowned, wrapping his arm under Ky's. Both of them were barely on their feet. He was glad to have escaped with someone. Ky looked down, nodding a little, as both of them weakly made their way out of the city.

Although, the forest wasn't much better than the city. Somehow the majority of it was on fire, even though the capital and senatorial buildings were no where near it. And guards were everywhere. They had torches and spears.

"They're after us?"

"Wouldn't be a surprise," Jonner responded, "we can't get to the ship, not without running into them."

"We don't exactly have another option," Ky replied, "is there any way we can sneak around them?"

Jonner thought for a moment, looking around, making sure both of them kept low to avoid the guards. He nodded after a second,

"Yeah, I know a place," he replied quietly, "it's no shortcut, but we can lay low there for a while."

"Sounds good to me," she sighed, placing her hand on her temple, wincing, "just need a second..."

"You good?" He looked over, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No," she muttered, "got thrown two stories off a building. Been beaten, almost got crushed. Almost got shot," she forced a chuckle, "could this day get any worse?"

"There might be medical supplies where we're going. We can get patched up."

"Sounds good to me," she smiled softly, "what about you? You okay?"

"One of them took my blaster and shot me with it," he sighed, keeping his hand over his wound on his leg, "they didn't do much to us otherwise."

She nodded a little, "Alright, which way are we going?"

"There." He gestured to the north, looking at some of the guards as they came into view, ducking down a little more.

Ky grabbed a rock from nearby, throwing it as far as she could without being seen.

"What was that?" A woman with a heavy accent questioned, looking around with some kind of bo and arrow.

"Came from over there."

As soon as the two guards went in the direction Ky had thrown it, Jonner and Ky made their way north, using each other as support. They could only hope Gooti and Mart made it out alive. Neither one of them was in the right shape to go after their friends at the moment.

"Almost there..." Jonner said after a while, glancing over to Ky. She nodded weakly, whatever happened to here in the Capital took a toll on her, physically and emotionally. Hell. It probably was going to do that for everyone.

Jonner looked down as they kept going, his thoughts dwelling on Gooti and Mart. He couldn't stop thinking about if they had made it or not. And he kept thinking about what was next. They couldn't stay on Mykapo, that's for sure. Maybe one day they could come back. That was going to take a toll on Mart for sure. Gooti too. R3 would be happy to see everyone again. The droid didnt exactly care about a home, his home was where his people were.

"This the place?" Ky said softly, looking at a small hut like building in front of them.

"Yeah," he replied, "can you stand on your own for a sec?"

She nodded, doing so and clutching her rifle,

"How far's the ship from here?"

"Not sure," he replied, trying to get the door to open, but something was jammed up behind it, "if things are how we left them, there's a transmitter inside."

"Sounds good to me." she replied, as Jonner shoved himself into the door, opening it just enough for them to get inside.

"Close enough." He sighed, going inside with Ky following close behind. Together they pushed the crate back against it, closing it. Ky sighed, sliding down to the ground in front of it, leaning her back against the cold metal.

"How did we make it out of there..?" She whispered, the question was more rhetorical than anything. Jonner clutched his wound as he sat down next to her,

"We've been through worse. All of us."

She nodded, letting a chuckle escape her lips, "Yeah, no kidding," she leaned her head back against the crate, "what even is this place?"

"Not exactly sure what to call it," Jonner shrugged, "Mart and I would come here a lot as kids. Just to get a break from everything. When we lost our families, we would come here and hideout as best we could. Usually to escape guards like we're doing now," Jonner smiled a little, "it was nice, for a while. But once the Empire started to show up more and more, things just got worse."

"Seems like there's a lot of that happening these days," she frowned, closing her eyes, "I'm sorry. I pushed for us to go into the Capital, and now..."

"Don't," he told her, looking over to her, "it could have been so much worse."

"I tried to tell myself that after Lothal," she sighed, "it didn't help."

Jonner nodded, remaining silent for a few moments, listening to the fire and the yelling in the distance. He didn't blame Ky for what happened. He didn't blame Mart or Gooti either. Everything that happened, happened because of the Empire. His parents were executed because of them. Gooti and Mart's families too. Some of the friends they grew up with. And now maybe Mart and Gooti were gone.

There had to be something he could do about it.

"Keep watch," Jonner sighed, hissing as he stood back up, "I'll find those medical supplies and that transmitter."

Ky nodded a little, staying where she was. She wanted to be back on the Ghost. Or even back on Sato's Hammer. Zeb was going to be furious when she got back. Seeing her like this, covered in bruises and bleeding in twenty different places. She couldn't help but smile (even though that hurt to do as well) thinking about him. And her mother. That was stupid to leave without telling them. Leaving a holo, not sure if she would ever be back to see them again. Ky couldn't help but me mad at herself for it. Especially after the execution hall, her plan could have gone as she thought it would. She could have died. And she could have left her mother alone. Her family.

\- - -

Hera had been more than panicked when she found the hologram sitting on her bunk, her daughter no where to be found. It had been two days and there had been no word from Ky, or Iron squadron. Hera knew if Commander Sato was still around, they would have sent a team out. Sato would have gone himself if needed. Hera wanted to, not only for her daughter. The moment Sato had died, she made a promise to protect Mart and his squadron. Ky had done the same, which gave Hera hope that they would be fine.

But it was when Kallus came to her, with the same panicked expression she had days prior, and a hologram in the palm of his hand; Hera couldn't stop herself this time.

Her family needed her.

**Author's Note:**

> CANON FOR KY


End file.
